southern covers

Southern Africa First Day Covers

Showcasing a private collection of Southern Africa first day covers to present.

Welcome to Southern Covers, a reference site dedicated to the first day covers (FDCs), postal history, and philately of Southern Africa. Here you'll find stamps, cachets, and postmarks issued by the Republic of South Africa and the former homeland states, brought together in one place for collectors, researchers, and anyone curious about this corner of stamp collecting.

This site showcases a private collection of South African first day covers gathered over the last century. Every FDC is catalogued individually, complete with its own photographs, cachet artwork, and postmark details, so you can explore the story behind each stamp up close.

Have a browse through the catalogue, and enjoy the journey through Southern African stamp collecting history.

New to First Day Covers? Read our guide to get familiar with the terms and history behind what you are about to see.

At a glance

209

covers catalogued

275

photos uploaded

~US$98.24

estimated value

See the full breakdown, by issuing authority, decade, category, theme, and more.

Cover spotlight

FW de Klerk State President First Day Cover 1989

This cover is postmarked on 20-09-1989 in Pretoria. It marks the installation of FW de Klerk as the seventh State President of South Africa, a month after he had been sworn in as acting State President on 15 August 1989. De Klerk trained as a lawyer at Potchefstroom University, graduating cum laude in 1958, before entering Parliament in 1972 and the Cabinet in 1978.

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